Mind the gender gap! Men still paying more than women for car insurance
Extra £92 policy average figure is based on males typically committing more driving offences
The greater number of driving offences committed by men is the reason for a gap in car insurance prices between genders, according to a study.
Insurance comparison website Confused.com found that on average women will pay £92 less for insurance cover than a man will on an equivalent policy, despite a 2012 EU directive making it illegal for companies to use a person’s gender when calculating premiums.
The average quote for women was £701, while men saw an average of £793. These figures were based on six million insurance quotes carried out by the insurer over the summer of 2018.
Confused.com presented its research as a visual experiment on its website, breaking down the number and type of claims and motoring offences made by gender.
It found that of the 585,000 drivers taken to court for motoring offences during 2017, 79 per cent were male. Thirty per cent of the offences were for speeding, comprising 23 per cent committed by men and just seven per cent by women.
There’s a similar disparity with insurance claims. Men made 65 per cent of car insurance claims in 2017, and were almost twice as likely to be ‘at fault’ when making a claim. In addition, men’s claims averaged a total cost of £3,271, compared with £3,121 for women – so not only do they claim more often but their claims are also more expensive.
Motorsport competitor and Confused.com motoring editor Amanda Stretton said: “As a female racing driver, I know women can hold their own when it comes to driving, and data suggests that they are in fact safer on the roads. This is reflected in the fact that they are paying almost £100 less for their car insurance premiums.
“But regardless of who is paying more, men or women, car insurance is a cost that is unavoidable for all drivers.”
